So Close But Yet So Far Out!

This is a stereogram. One must defocus his eyes in order to see the image that is hidden. If one never believed it was there he would never consider further contemplation enabling him to see the three dimensional viewpoint.

In The Cosmic Serpent Author and Anthropologist Jeremy Narby writes about living in the Amazon Rain Forest along side the indigenous tribes. During the first two years he participated in ceremonies including the use of Ayahuasca. After spending some years looking into numerous world ceremonial rituals he was able to piece together some amazing theory’s. And this is how it works regarding discoveries. The poets, writers and artist theorize on what could be possible or probable and then a few hundred or thousands of years later the scientist sometimes catch up.

Among several ancient myth’s and current world cultures there exist common themes. One such theme is that of a Cosmic Serpent. Jeremy Narby witnessed these giant creatures for himself during several ceremonies. Being an Anthropologist he was enamored with this finding. Many Anthropologist of the past studied these cultures without participating in ceremonies and thus threw off the idea that these myth’s were know as real.

After living with these people for two years he continued to look at the ancient myths coupled with what he had personally experienced. Talking with other anthropologist, shamans and botanist he focused, researched, walked in parks and meditated on the subject.

This is my feeble attempt to relay some of what he found only to the extent necessary to parallel the findings to something that I am enamored with, which is a scribed writing named “A Course in Miracles”.

It’s fascinating and all inspired (in spirit)

In reference to how images are seen while in these altered states of consciousness, Mr. Narby in my own words found that the vast intelligence contained within the DNA of all life actually broadcast a electromagnetic signal. When one learns just a little of what man thinks he knows regarding intelligence in nature within any life form on this planet it becomes astonishing. It suggest to me that the intelligence within nature is far greater than we are exemplifying as humans in our outside world. The supreme intelligence within the genetic code of the DNA is actually capable of communicating with us in what appears to be an outside picture. Just as in a 3D hologram most of us have observed in movies.

Life imitates art. One interesting fact: if it were put end to end the DNA in one earthling would reach 125 billion miles. Enough to wrap around the planet seventy-million times. The same four letter code that makes up your DNA makes up every living thing. The Cosmic Serpent referenced in many world cultures are so big that they are described as bumping their heads on the galaxy’s. (Watch “The Power of Myth” Joseph Campbell – Youtube and read “The Cosmic Serpent”)

So What about it? Just hang on a minute.

The eyes

A layman study of the eyes will reveal that the outer layer of the retina takes a single photon and magnifies this 100x before sending this signal to the neurons in the brain. The brain then reconstructs these signals into a three dimensional image in the back of the brain. We then perceive this image as external. We never really see reality only an image that our brain is programmed to reconstruct. In addition no one really knows how this works. As usual, we think we know vastly more than we do.

Here is one of my comparisons in A Course in Miracles in a section called “The Laws of Healing” it states: ideas leave not their source, and their effects but seem to be apart from them. Ideas are of the mind. What is projected out, and seems to be external to the mind, is not outside at all, but an effect of what is in, and has not left it’s source.

Indeed there are many passages in The Course that state this same idea in different ways.

I’ll let my imagination combined with reason run wild here. If we look at the double Helix of the DNA we will see the similarities to a ladder. Narby discusses this at some length. In some of the Myth’s this ladder ties the sky and earth together. Such as the story of “Jacobs ladder” in the Bible. If one makes a study of world mythology he will see common themes including images of cells, ladders and double helix’s in the art and stories. Interesting that at the beginning of the Jacobs Ladder story it states that Jacob found a stone and put it under his head. I’ll state why in a moment. These considered primitive cultures would have no other way of knowing about these things other than the visions they interact with mainly while using entheogens acknowledged by their culture. Many of these mixtures in the Amazon used to heal and during vision quest are taken from a potential of thousands of plants. When asked how these combinations were discovered, a simple answer is replied by the Shamans, “the plants told us”. My point is that by the ingestion of these hallucinogens, plant teachers or entheogen’s as we now like to call them, we learn what our vast inner intelligence of the genetic code can teach us. A learning these cultures have not lost as they have been doing it for thousands of years. Many plant remedies for physical and mental illness are taught to them. I might add that it is also believed that the DNA from all of the living beings are projected onto the television of the forest that man sees when in ceremony and not just his own.

Many scriptural quotes come flashing by such as “The Kingdom of Heaven is within” or “The kingdom of Heaven is spread out before man though he see’s it not”. Also “As within, so without” – Jesus taught.

Now I’m really going to go out on a “Serian Rue” limb. If one makes a careful study of the Exodus story of Moses in the desert with the Israelites regarding the story of the mana falling from Heaven. It is clear that the cattle were brought out of Egypt with the people. It is also clear that a rain fell the night before and in the morning a substance lay on the ground in which they described as looking like a stone (Jacobs stone?) they called manna, the bread of life. In case you are not following mushrooms are known to grow out of cow dung as well as after a rain and look similar to stones. In another story of Moses going up on the mountain and the burning bush. It says that the bush was not consumed by the fire but not that the berries from the bush were not consumed by Moses. Many point to the idea that the bush was a Serian Rue, in which the red berries are known to have hallucinogenic qualities. As pointed out to me Moses growing up with educated royalty of the time would have been instructed in the sciences of healing at that time. It’s a stretch, but there is much more to look at. In a section of 2 Esdras 14:37-48, …on the next day I heard a voice calling me, which said “Ezra, open your mouth and drink what I give you. “So I opened my mouth, and was handed a cup full of what seemed like water, except that it’s color was the color of fire. I took it and drank, and as soon as I had done so my mind began to pour forth a flood of understanding and wisdom grew greater and greater within me….. Pretty obvious to me, draw your own conclusions. Stories of the liquid named Soma in the Rig Veda (many have called the most potent ancient writing to date) some say was actually made from the berries of the Serian Rue or the Teonanacatl Mushroom nicknamed “flesh of the Gods”.

Narby’s point is that just as the stereogram picture above must be searched with a different way of looking in order to see what is hidden, the powerful ancient spiritual writings when looked at with this new perspective can uncover how these understandings were reached.

Are we to believe that the writings of Taoism, Buddhism and Hindu religions were of a time when the spirit was more prodigious in the world. Where are the qualities that make our religious belief systems powerful. No burning bush or manna stories have I heard lately. When is the last time anyone witnessed anything earth shattering in the western worlds religion’s. “You shall do greater things than I have done” jesus stated. Ok, we invented computers and by the way it is said that the inventor was assisted with LSD. Bill Wilson the founder of AA is also have said to use Psychedelics. He had hoped the substance might help others. This hope was eliminated by fear and misunderstanding during the 60’s.

If the Indian’s of the Amazon are healing people currently as they always have, is it possible that we are missing some of the pieces that might have been hidden away from us by the powers that be. Could it be that these plant elements have been forgotten in the hiding. Is it Possible that it was hidden with the idea that “some knowledge is not meant for the masses”. I have an appreciation for this reasoning to some extent. Why? Because I witness many using these substances for recreational purposes. But who in the hell am I to judge.

Have you ever noticed blue/purple color of Krishna depicted in many art pieces and that he is with a cow. Incidentally the color of a Psilocybe mushroom when pinched is purple and emits purple spores. Have you also ever noticed how Lao Tzu, the legendary composer of the Tao Te Ching (Taoism) many times is pictured on a Bull. We could go on for pages on many symbols in religion pointing to entheogenic substances. I’m not selling anything so I’ll stop here -maybe.

Is all of this a plausible explanation for the stories and myths one encounters as he searches across the religions of the world for common themes, meaning and purpose. You damn right! I have sat in meditation for days, read and studied several text over years, eliminated all kinds of foods from my diet, become celibate, fasted, run through the desert to become physically exhausted…..I tell you right now that what I have gained through the use of Peyote in one single night surpassed all inner vision and understanding that I gained in years of study, practice and real world scenarios putting what I learned into play. Theosophy is one thing, knowing is quite another. Now, that is not to say that any my preparation was wasted. In fact, I have come to know that it all was of utmost necessity in order to navigate the teaching of the wisdom of the plants. Otherwise the wisdom is limited in what it can reveal and be understood. In truth all one can relay is his own experience, which has nothing to do with fact. An analogy I draw is this. Any ascended master or wise teacher looking down upon the earth is not going to bother with someone who has no discipline of the mind. Why would it. It chooses a consciousness which is focused and indeed the untrained mind can accomplish nothing. All are called but few answer the call. This is not to say that the plant teachers will not teach a novice, to the contrary. It’s just a metaphor of how I have chosen to see it.

Ok, back to drawing comparisons with Shamanic Visions and A Course in Miracles. Lesson 30 states: God is in everything I see because God is in my mind. Thats awesome. He is in everything because He is in my DNA. Another line in the Course says, The memory of God is in my mind….Thats perfect, it’s not in the brain, not in the head at all, it’s in the DNA. Just a perspective. Nothing In this world is exact, it’s all a metaphor because it’s a pseudo reality, in other words it’s just a relative reality. And here we find what the ancient text have known for thousands of years and which Einstein’s equations relayed to us. It’s all relative. Another example of science catching up with Wisdom of the Enlightened ones. But hey, it’s all just an opinion about an illusion. Thats what the newspaper is, the TV news and this article.

Ok so, when we do entheogens we see a broadcast of our own DNA. The archetypes come through the veil and we are enlightened as to how to heal ourselves and in general of how things are. We are merely little Humans akin to a single page in a great and shining series of novels of the multi-verse. It’s pretty funny. First we thought we were on a flat world and anyone who said different was executed. Then man thought all of the planets revolved around him -go figure. Then ours was the only solar system, then the only galaxy. Now man thinks he is the only intelligent thing on this planet. Boy this ego thing is intoxicating to the earthling. Always at the center, even to the extent of killing himself in the destruction of his own living quarters. Well that pretty much gives reason as to why we might all want to re-examine our world through the use of whatever we can find other than our own greedy little self.

Another example. Ever notice how deep sea life like creatures are observed. We come from the sea. If one wants to know where he comes from ………..

Ever wonder just what the fruit in the Garden of Eden actually was? By the way there is another story involving a serpent.

Is it a all nice theory to be forgotten in the throws of everyday life. What could come of such a theory. Is it possible that these plants are here to show us the way. Some type of revolution seems to be necessary to bring about an abrupt and swift change and this is not a new idea. I think we are still seeing the benefits of the 1960’s. The cultural message of peace, Love and Joy seems to have diminished in the view of todays millionairies.

As Terrence Mckenna and the Shamans point out, one can ask the entheogen’s questions. One account I remember where Terrence ask the Mushrooms what we should do about the world population problem. They simply said neuter everyone, just kidding, they said every female should be allowed one child. In doing this the worlds population would be cut in half in fifty years and then another fifty percent in this many years and so on.